Who doesn’t love a good laugh? We all do and for good reason. There aren’t too many other things that you can do that feel good and are good for you at the same time. Laughing is not just a fun way to kill time. It has neuropsychological benefits, including improving your mood, exercising your[...]

This is a guest post by Matthew Snider of Self Development Secrets. Antidepressants are some of the most commonly prescribed drugs in the United States, second only to antibiotics. This is a startling statistic for a class of drugs with many side effects that works little better than placebo. Before you take antidepressants, you might consider alternatives to[...]

You may think of mindfulness as one of those far-out-there trends, but it’s been around since antiquity for good reason. Science has proven, beyond any doubt, that a steady practice of mindfulness induces real beneficial changes in the brain. Studies have shown mindfulness to significantly improve a variety of conditions including anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder,[...]

Your mental health impacts every part of your life. Your physical health, happiness, relationships, success at work, financial stability – literally every single aspect of your world – is influenced by what’s happening in your head. It makes sense to me then that mental health should be at the top of the priority list for[...]

Worrying has become the norm these days. We worry about paying the bills. We nervously read up on and monitor our health. We fret about our kids getting into college. And when they do, we worry about them finding a good job after graduating. There’s an endless supply of material for mind sweat. According to The[...]

For my first three decades on this Earth, life went pretty much according to plan. As I achieved major milestones, I smugly checked things off the “how-life-should-be” list in my head. After attending college together, my high school sweetheart and I married and drove half-way across the U.S. with all of our possessions in an 18-foot[...]

This is a guest post by Jordan Fallis of OptimalLivingDynamics.com. My brain totally broke in 2010 and I felt like I had developed ADHD, depression, and dementia all at once. By scouring the scientific literature, interviewing and consulting with doctors and researchers, and experimenting with my own body and mind, I finally came to understand that[...]

Numerous studies have documented that as a person’s weight and BMI (body mass index) increases, their brain shrinks in size. Excess weight often leads to obesity and diabetes. These conditions destroy synapses, wither blood vessels in your brain, batter neural pathways, and kill neurons. The result is a smaller brain. One study found that the brains of obese[...]

Science has unequivocally confirmed that your life shapes your brain. Over your life, your experiences, behaviors, thoughts, and emotions physically change the form and function of your brain through what is known as neuroplasticity. What Is Neuroplasticity? Every second of your life, every single thing of which you are aware – sounds, sights, thoughts, feelings – and even[...]

Whether you know it or not, many of your decisions and actions are the result of a tiny part of your brain called the amygdala. Your amygdala are very small almond-shaped masses (there are actually two of them) of nuclei located deep within the temporal lobe of your brain. Your amygdala is an ancient limbic system structure primarily[...]

At around the age of 60, your brain slowly begins to shrink in volume. The cerebral cortex, responsible for most of your higher level brain function, is most affected. Many parts of the brain which support mental operation and bodily movement experience reductions. Your brain’s white matter decreases. The greatest changes take place in the areas[...]

It seems like everywhere you turn these days someone is singing the praises of meditation, including me. Science has only fairly recently been able to validate the amazing benefits of this ancient practice with technology. The positive neurological and psychological effects of meditation are numerous. Meditation Helps Preserve An Aging Brain – One study found that long-term[...]